God Gives Life to our Mortal Bodies
Please listen to Romans 8, verses 6 thru 9; “For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit, is life and peace. Because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God. For it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so. And those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.”
There’s a verse in Galatians, that’s very similar to the beginning of this passage. It says in Galatians 6:8; “For the one who sows to his own flesh, shall from the flesh, reap corruption. But the one who sows to the Spirit, shall from the Spirit, reap eternal life.”
In the book of Romans, the mind set on the flesh, is contrasted to the mind set on the Spirit. And in Galatians, the idea of “sowing” to the flesh is contrasted to “sowing” to the Spirit. The mind controls what we sow, doesn’t it? The mind decides what the body is going to do. In other words, our mind dictates our actions.
Listen to what we’re told in Galatians 5:16 & 17; “But I say; Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh. For the flesh sets it’s desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh. For these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you wish.”
We’re told in Hebrews 6:1; “..Press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works.” “Dead works”, are works that are useless and vain. All the things that we do in respect to fulfilling our fleshly lusts are “dead works”.
Now, consider everything that’s been said; The result of the mind being set on the flesh is “death”. The result of sowing to the flesh, is death (or, “corruption” as the scripture says). The flesh is in opposition to the Spirit. The Spirit gives life, but the flesh brings death. Even the works, or “deeds” that we do, which are focused on the flesh, are “dead works”.
Our bodies are flesh, aren’t they? Couldn’t you rightfully conclude, that when our body is used for “dead works”, and when it’s used for “sowing to the flesh”, and for fulfilling the “lusts of the flesh”, that for all practical purpose, our bodies are virtually “dead”, even while we live? The bible itself draws that very conclusion..
Listen to Romans 8:10; “And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” When we use our bodies to commit sin, we’ve basically rendered our bodies “useless” in God’s eyes. And therefore, for all practical purposes, our bodies are dead.
Now listen to what 1 Timothy 5:6 says; “But she who gives herself to wanton pleasure, is dead even while she lives.”
The meaning of that verse, is that even though a person’s body may be alive, their spirit is dead, because of the sin that they’re involved in.
Do you see how those verses say exactly the opposite of one another? Romans 8:10 says that the body is dead, while the spirit is alive. But 1 Timothy 5:6 says that the body is alive, while the spirit is dead. That’s the complete opposite, one from the other.
Now, 1 Timothy 5:6 can be taken quite literally. While a person walks in “wanton pleasure”, their body remains alive, but their spirit is “dead”, because it’s separated from God.
But Romans 8:10, can’t be taken quite so literally. Listen again; “And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” This verse is talking about the “Spirit of Christ” being in you. When we’re in Christ, His Spirit is in us. So then, if the “Spirit of Christ” is living in us, our spirit is alive, right? Because we’ve been “born again”, and God has made our spirits alive. Our spirits are quite literally “alive”. But our bodies are not literally dead, are they? So then that part MUST be taken figuratively, right? We have no other choice but to understand that figuratively, because our bodies are obviously alive right now! But the scripture says “the body is dead”.
But isn’t it easy to see the figurative meaning there, that the body is “dead because of sin”. As a matter of fact, we’re told that when we are baptized, that our “body of sin” is being “buried”. Romans 6:4 says; “We have been buried with Him, through baptism, into death.” Verse 6 says; “Knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our body of sin might be done away with..”
So then figuratively speaking, this body has died! Therefore, we see the meaning of Romans 8, verse 10, when it says; “And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.”
Are we all on the same page here so far? If we are all in agreement, then let me move on to the next verse, Romans 8, verse 11. Here’s what it says; “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead, dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead, will also give LIFE to your mortal body because of the spirit dwelling in you.”
Now, since it is obvious, and since we KNOW, that it is a figurative statement, in verse 10, when it says that the “body is DEAD because of sin”, then is it not also obvious, that it is a figurative statement in verse 11, when it says that God “..will also give LIFE to your mortal bodies, because of the Spirit dwelling in you”?
While we live our Christian life, with the spirit of Christ living in us, our mortal bodies are already alive! How can you literally give life to something that already has life? The answer is; God figuratively gives “life” to our mortal bodies, by raising us out of baptism, to “walk in newness of life”. In exactly the same way that our bodies are “dead” because of sin, they are also made “alive” because of righteousness.
You can see then, that Romans 8:11 has nothing to do with the resurrection at the day of judgment, but that it has everything to do with how we are “alive” both in body and spirit, as we are led by the Spirit of God, and not by the flesh.
May God bless you in your study of His word, and in your journey toward eternity.
This morning while doing my Bible study I’ve been reading in Romans and so I was looking on the Internet and ask how does the Spirit gives life to our mortal body and of all the places that the Internet could’ve connected me to it brought me here and this was just exactly what I needed I’m so thankful for the truth and for those committed to teaching it
Thank you so much for your comments Emma. One of the major problems that people encounter when studying the scriptures, is recognizing when God is speaking literally, and when He is speaking figuratively. Ans that’s why we all need to study, as the scripture says.. “Study to show yourself approved unto God, and workman who needs not to be ashamed, correctly discerning the word of truth.” (2 Tim 2:15) And I’m glad that I could be of some help to you through this short bible lesson. Keep studying, and keep obeying God. May God bless you on your journey.
once we believed and endowed with the Spirit of God, our eternal starts and our mortal body is at disposal of being transformed…by what we choose to confess daily…youth and renewal or aging and death.
its as good as literal and thats the power of our God!❤
I appreciate your input Sheryl. Can you tell me please, what religious group do you worship with?
1 Corth.12:13 says we are baptized into the body of Christ by the Holy Spirit, not by water. Paul said in Ephesians their is One Lord, one faith, and one baptism. That is not water.
Hi Elena. Thanks for your comment. Please allow me to explain that to you. The words of God, in the bible, are the words of the Spirit. It is the words of the bible that give us spiritual life, through our obedience to those words. Jesus said in John 6:63; “..The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” Therefore, when we are motivated to action, through the words that we read in the bible, it is the Spirit that is motivating us, and it is the Spirit that is giving us the life that we have through Jesus. But those words of the Spirit instruct us to do certain things, which are all a part of God’s plan of salvation. And one of the things that the Spirit tells us to do, is to be baptized in water, so that our sins can be washed away. In other words, so that we can be cleansed by the blood of Christ. Actually, the command to be baptized is the final step in our efforts to be forgiven of our sins. The bible tells us that we must first have faith (which comes only from the words of the Spirit, Romans 10:17) Then we must be willing to openly confess our faith (Mathew 10:32-33) Then before our sins can be forgiven, we must be willing to acknowledge our sins, and repent of them. And finally we must be buried in baptism, into the death of Christ, so that we can be have those sins washed away, and be “born again” as the scriptures call it, and be added to the kingdom of God. (Please see Romans 6:3-4 for exact wording) Acts 2:38 commands us; “Repent and let each one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ (that means by the authority of Jesus) FOR the forgiveness of your sins, (the very purpose of baptism, is FOR the forgiveness of sins) and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” (the gift referred to is the promise of eternal life. that is stated clearly in 1 John 2:25) Then Acts 2:41 tells us, “As many as received his words, were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.” God added those souls to the body of Christ, which is the church. Literally it is the “called out assembly”, referring to those of us who have been called out from the world, and into His kingdom. Colossians 1:13 says; “Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of His beloved Son.” So then it is through faith and confession, and repentance, and baptism, that we receive the forgiveness of our sins, and are added to God’s kingdom. As far as who is doing the baptizing, (is it the Spirit doing the baptizing?) as I said before, when we are motivated to obey the commands of God through the Holy Spirit, it is the Holy Spirit that is accomplishing that work. That is why the scriptures say in 1 Cor 12:13; “For by one Spirit, were we all baptized into one body..” In the version that you quoted, the word “in” such as “in one Spirit”, can also be translated “by” or “with” or “among”. The meaning is that “through the instrumentality” of the one Spirit of God, (through the use of the Spirit given word of God) we are all motivated to obey the command to be baptized into the one body of Christ. So then you can see that although it is not the Spirit performing the physical act of baptizing us, the Spirit is the motivating force behind the action. Does that help you understand this any better? I would love to study this with you in ore detail if you would like. May we do that please?
If a person did baptize at a young age, is his salvation in question ? Is he not saved ? Can he not receive the gift of the Holy Spirit ? Is he not born again in Christ ?
Could you also elaborate what you said – “ the very reason of baptism is forgiveness of our sin “
Thank you
Hello and thank you for your comments and questions. If a person is baptized, at an age when they do not know, nor understand God’s gospel plan of salvation, then the baptism is of no value, because the one being baptized has no idea what he is doing. It’s like baptizing an infant, who does not have the ability to know what is going on. Baptism alone is of no value to anyone. There are pre-requisites to being baptized, as is evidenced from Acts 8:36 & 37. Those verses are a perfect example that serves as our proof of that fact. Listen please.. “And as they were going along the road (Philip the evangelist, and the Ethiopian eunuch were in a chariot together, and Philip had been teaching the eunuch about salvation in Jesus Christ) they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized? And Philip said, “IF YOU BELIEVE with all your heart, you may.” And he answered and said, “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” There you have clearly stated, that belief is a pre-requisite to being baptized. And along with his belief, the Ethiopian also then confessed his faith, by saying.. “I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” So in that one example, we have the teaching that one MUST believe in Jesus Christ, as the Savior, BEFORE they are a proper candidate for baptism. And that is why being baptized as an infant, or when you’re so young that you do not have the capability to know and understand the gospel, is totally vain and meaningless. As for the “gift of the Holy Spirit”, that gift spoken of in Acts 2, verse 38, is referring to the promise of eternal life, if we remain faithful. Listen to Acts 2:38 & 39; “And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized (here we see another pre-requisite to being baptized, and that is that we must first repent of our sins. Infants and young children do not understand the idea of repentance of sins) “Repent and be baptized, every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, (baptism is FOR the very purpose of having our sins forgiven) and you will receive the GIFT of the Holy Spirit. For the PROMISE is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” The “gift” is called the “promise”. And the “promise” is clearly defined in 1 John 2:25.. “And this is the promise, that He Himself made to us: Eternal life.” I hope I have answered your questions, and you can see from the word of God, that baptism is ONLY for a person who is able to believe, and repent, and confess, their faith in Jesus as the Savior.